The Trucking Industry Needs More Drivers. Maybe It Needs to Pay More? Duh...

Really? It seems most immigrant truckers are from Eastern Europe and not Mexico and we have a trade deal with Mexico about trucks going across the border and yet that still isn't happening in mass as everyone says that it would.

 

Well, Mexicans and others from south of our borders ARE going to fill a lot of seats in the future, but the thing is, Hispanics are not the gypsies that eastern europeans are and won't stay out as long. That said, I think it's fair to assume that eastern europeans and arabs will be more highly valued by carriers then hispanics. Carriers who offer a "frequent home time" model are finding it difficult and costly to operate this way in the long term [in the changing industry] except in certain truly regional/dedicated contract operations, and finding drivers willing to stay out 3-4 weeks +, is going to once again become prudent as a means to increase productivity while reducing costs.

I know that's not what you want to hear but it's where we're headed ... again. You know what they say, everything comes back in style, sooner or later. I can read the tea leaves and is why I'm preparing to exit the OTR trade and find other means to support myself that I can comfortably grow old with, and live a half-way normal life.

 

That don't matter, a company can just advertise 50-60k "the first year", and have them beatn' down the doors ... ohh wait, they do that already.

 

That's my point. Their "starting pay rate" they (many) advertise is simply too high and is not realistic in most cases, but more importantly it does not work to insure only those with proper skills and natural talent and lifestyle wants apply, but rather works against the carrier's own best interest in the end.

That's no different then McDonalds advertising starting pay for part time help in Dallas at $30 hour. It makes zero business sense. Let those with real drive and desire work their way up to $30 hour management positions.

Carrier management is their own worst enemy and they're funny to watch as they offer up one incoherent strategy after another in a desperate attempt to find "cheap robots that bleed"

 

with $1/mi freight and 90-110% turnover rate, pay isn't going up any time soon